Murray State volleyball played their first two home games of the season against Indiana State on Oct. 4 and Evansville on Oct. 5.
Oct. 4 vs Indiana State
Murray State volleyball officially got the ball rolling with a 3-0 win against Indiana State during the Racer’s home opener on Oct. 4.
The Racers opened with the first point of the game, scored by Darci Metzger with a powerful block. Indiana State retaliated on the following play. Haidi Miliou immediately put an end to the momentum for the Sycamores however, with a smart tip over the Sycamores’ middle and right-side blockers. The Sycamores remained close to the Racers for the beginning seven rallies before the Racers found a drive, going on a 7-0 run in the first set. Indiana State managed a few more points, with a double block, but it was no match for the consistent serving by Federica Nuccio that carried the racers to a 25-16 victory in the first set.
Set two started off much like the first, with the Racers and Sycamores staying close in points for the first 10 rallies. After the 5-5 tie, the Racers found a rhythm. Impressive digs by Dahlia Miller and Nuccio kept the rallies alive, while the precise sets of Bailey DeMier positioned the Racers for some well-timed kills.
Eventually, the volleyball IQ of Murray State hitters Ella Vogel, Haidi Miliou, and Lily Burnett really began to show as they exploited the holes in Indiana State’s defensive coverage, strategically placing the volleyball in the deep court with little time for a Sycamore defender to react. After finding themselves in a 9-point deficit, Indiana State found a spark to bring the score to 22-24 right before the volleyball brushed the fingers of some Sycamore blockers in an effort to stop a kill by Ella Vogel, sealing the second set for Murray State 25-22.
Sycamore blockers redeemed themselves on the first play of the third set with an unbelievable block on another kill attempt by Vogel. Indiana State refused to give up in the first half of the third set, taking advantage of Murray State’s inconsistency in covering balls headed toward the back row.
The Sycamores found themselves leading by one point. A perfect back-row bump set by Miller led to a ferocious kill by Vogel. On the very next play, a Sycamore over-passed the ball just over the net, allowing Vogel get two kills back-to-back. The offensive pressure by the Racers combined with the high energy of Murray State’s fan base, forced the Sycamores to call a timeout.
Indiana State remained in the game, trailing by just four points, relying on their defense in an attempt to push the game to a fourth set. However, an ace by Nuccio clinched the win for the Racers over the Sycamores 25-20.
Oct. 5 vs Evansville
After dropping the first two sets, the Racers were able to come back to beat the Evansville Aces in a thrilling match.
During the first two sets, the Racers would come out strong, going on multiple rallies that would result in points, but would lose momentum towards the latter half. Led by opposite hitter Giulia Cardona, who totaled 31 kills on the day, the Aces won the first set 25-23 and the second 25-19.
Momentum changed in favor of the Racers in the third set. To start the set, the team went for a different lineup, putting in Morgan McClure. The teams went back and forth in a strong battle of wills, with the Aces matching every Racer point. Ultimately, the Racers came out on top, winning the set 25-22.
It was Racers domination in the last two sets, going in a five point scoring run in the fourth set and starting out the fifth set with an eight point run. The team completed the reverse sweep with scores of 25-12 in the fourth set and 15-6 in the fifth.
Outside hitter Lily Burnett had a steller game, totaling 16 kills and Ella Vogel continued a strong weekend with 18 kills. Darci Metzger also had a great game with 14 kills, becoming the 15th player in program history to reach 1000 kills. Setter Bailey DeMier shined in her position with 48 assists, a game-high.
Head coach David Schwepker said they decided to change the lineup mid game to “w[a]ke the girls up a bit”, then went back to the original lineup for the fourth and fifth sets.
“I was not very happy at the beginning because I thought we came out super flat and I was not wanting to see that,” Schwepker said. “Then they pulled themselves out of it, cause I didn’t do anything to pull them out of it, and then after the third set, then the fourth set, it’s like everything worked and then the set worked.”
This game set the Racers overall record at 8-5, and a conference record of 3-1.
The Racers will take on Belmont on Tuesday, Oct. 8 to round out their three game home stint. First serve is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.